Fantasy Grounds

Overview

Fantasy Grounds is a virtual tabletop for creating and running tabletop roleplaying campaigns online or in person. It suits groups that want a full campaign workspace and rules automation, particularly Game Masters who also want to build or adapt content. The complete application is free for players and Game Masters, but support is limited to English and excludes phone help and product training.

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Key features

Dice, character sheets, campaign notes, handouts, images, tokens and maps bring the core materials for a session together. Rulesets automate gameplay tasks while retaining detailed rules information, a useful balance for groups seeking help with routine play without losing access to the rules.

Dynamic line of sight, lighting and vision features, including darkvision support, make the tabletop better suited to games where visibility matters. Cloud connectivity with automatic NAT traversal is intended to avoid networking hassles when a group connects remotely.

Campaign creation is a particular strength: users can build unlimited campaigns, export custom adventure modules, and create extensions or rulesets using XML and Lua. That breadth will appeal most to Game Masters willing to shape their own material; XML and Lua customization is less compelling for groups that want only a simple shared play space. Fantasy Grounds works with more than 150 community developers and licensed RPG publishers. Its Forge lets creators share or sell content, while users can buy or subscribe to it. Purchased modules can also be accessed from any device through the browser-based Online Reader.

Pricing

The Free to Play plan costs nothing, with no recurring costs. It includes full Game Master and player functionality, Windows, MacOS and Linux support, unlimited campaigns, cloud connectivity and free rulesets. This is a notably complete starting point for groups who want to run campaigns without a recurring software fee.

The free plan includes campaign tools, a rules compendium and API access. No paid plan is described, so users seeking additional capabilities should not assume an upgrade tier is available. Content in the Forge can be sold or subscribed to, so users may choose to spend on creator content, but the application itself has no recurring cost on this plan.

Platforms

Fantasy Grounds supports Linux, macOS and Windows, as well as web access through the Online Reader for purchased modules. The core Free to Play plan names Windows, MacOS and Linux; the reader extends access to modules in a browser on any device. Groups looking to run the complete application on a phone or tablet may want to consider an alternative with explicit mobile platform support.

Who it's for

Choose Fantasy Grounds if your group wants an extensive campaign toolkit, automated rules support, and the option to create or customize adventures. It is especially suited to Game Masters who value unlimited campaigns and are comfortable working with XML or Lua for deeper customization. It is less suited to groups that need phone support, non-English assistance, or a lightweight mobile-first tabletop.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The free plan includes full Game Master and player functionality, unlimited campaigns and cloud connectivity, with no recurring costs.
• Pro: Rules automation, detailed rules information, and lighting and vision tools support a more structured campaign experience.
• Pro: XML and Lua customization, adventure-module export and the Forge offer routes to create, share or acquire campaign content.
• Con: Support excludes product training, phone support and languages other than English, which may leave some users without the help they prefer.
• Con: The full application plan names desktop operating systems; users who need a complete mobile app may find the platform fit limiting.

Alternatives

• Alchemy RPG is another freemium option with a free plan and support for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows; consider it if mobile platform coverage is important.
• Roll20 offers a free plan with base tools and 100MB of storage, with ads; its Pro plan is $8.33 a month, billed $99.99 pay once a year, and includes 10 GB upload storage. Consider it if you prefer a stated storage-based plan choice.
• D&D Beyond Maps has a free plan with up to 6 character slots, game hosting on Maps, friend invites and purchased-content access, plus a free trial; consider it if those map and character limits suit your group.
• Let's Role offers a free Basic plan with 125MB storage, all features and mobile-app ads, while its Explorer plan is $2 a year, billed annually, with 500MB storage and no ads. Consider it if a low-cost annual tier and explicit storage limits are a better fit.
• Owlbear Rodeo offers a free Nestling plan with 2 rooms and random room names and backgrounds; consider it if that room-based free plan fits your needs.
• Battlegrounds: RPG Edition has a free demo with a 45-minute timeout unless connected to a GM Client with an available Floating License, and encounter saving/loading limited to 12 units.
• Quest Portal is a freemium option with a free plan and free trial; consider it as another choice for groups looking for a campaign platform.
• Rolisteam is free and open source under GNU GPL v2.0; consider it if that licensing model is a priority.

Verdict

Fantasy Grounds is a strong choice for Game Masters and groups who want a feature-rich tabletop, rules automation and room to build campaign content without paying a recurring application fee. Its broad free functionality is the main reason to start here; look elsewhere if your group needs a full mobile app or more extensive support options.